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Astronomical wonder A rare astronomical event dimmed the skies over parts of Asia and North America, briefly turning the Sun into a blazing ring of fire.

An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon's orbit is at its furthest point from the Earth and closer to the much larger Sun. That juxtaposition allows the Moon to block more than 90 per cent of the Sun's rays when the two orbs slide into alignment.

"It's like moving your fist in front of your eyes," says Newmark. "You can block out the view of a whole mountain. It's the same kind of effect."

The eclipse was first visible over southern Asia and then moved across the Pacific. Travelling on diagonal path, the eclipse began its way across parts of Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, and disappeared in Texas with the sunset.

Day did not turn into night. But light faded as the Moon slid in front of the sun, much like turning down a dimmer switch, and then slowly returned as the moon moved away.

From start to finish, the eclipse was visible for just under two hours. A view of the so-called "ring of fire" spectacle at the eclipse's peak, however, lasted no more than four minutes, and even then was only visible to viewers positioned along the centre line of the eclipse's path.

Part of the normal cycle

Scientists cautioned eclipse viewers not to look directly at the Sun, as doing so could damage the eyes, recommending astro-enthusiasts look at the eclipse through specially designed glasses or telescopes. Viewers could also use a cardboard box to make a pin-hole camera and project an image of the eclipse onto a piece of paper for safe viewing.

Despite the infrequent nature of an annular eclipse, it was part of the normal astronomical cycle, says Dr Inese Ivans, an assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Utah. Still, she says it was bound to pique curiosities and inspire awe.

"It reminds us that the Earth is spinning. That everything is constantly in motion," says Ivans. "This sort of gives you a chance to step out and remember 'Oh yeah' there (is) a lot of stuff out there that we don't know anything about."

The next major astronomical event occurs on 6 June, when the planet Venus passes in front of the Sun - known as a transit. This rare event will not occur again until 11 December 2117.